Sabin and Van Arsdale Collection (Aurora), 1856-1960 | Northern Illinois University

Collection Overview

Title: Sabin and Van Arsdale Collection (Aurora), 1856-1960

ID: RHC/RC/032

Extent: 4.75 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1966

Subjects: Architecture, Aurora (Ill.), Aurora Daily Beacon News, Chicago (Ill.), Circus Fans Association of America, Electricity, Exhibit, Lee County (Ill), Mineral industries, Ogle County (Ill), Sabin, Jay H., Trucks, Van Arsdale, Henry, Winnebago County (Ill), World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.), Young Men's Christian Associations

Forms of Material: Photograph albums, Photographs, Tintype

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Sabin-Van Arsdale Collection consists of 845 photographs, a small amount of correspondence, diaries and school work, surveyor’s notebooks, tour books, and other printed material. The photographs depict western mining and manufacturing operations, landscape and scenery from Europe and the United States dating from the early twentieth century, and portraits and candid shots of relatives and friends of the Sabin and Van Arsdale families. Also found in the collection are souvenir and costume books from several European counties collected by Van Arsdale during his extensive travels.

Among the printed materials are books on surveying, merit rolls and other publications from the New York Free Academy, and by-laws and catalogs from the Columbia College School of Mines. Smaller portions of the collection include Aurora YMCA posters and information and the Circus Fans of America.

Of special interest in the collection is the folder containing wanted notices for criminals in the Ogle and Lee County area.

Collection Historical Note

Jay Horace Sabin, son of Dwight Mays Sabin (U.S. Congressman from Minnesota, 1882-1886) was born in Stillwater, Minnesota in 1875. He graduated from Northwestern University in the late 1890's and became a surveyor of Winnebago County. He is known to have lived in the Illinois area (Chicago) until 1954 although his death date is at this date unknown.

William Henry Van Arsdale was the step father of Jay Horace Sabin. He was born in New York City in January 1846. Van Arsdale attended and graduated from the New York City Free Academy and the Columbia School of Mines. He married Katherine Hillman. In 1883 he became the first vice-president of the new Aurora Smelting and Refining Company, Aurora, Illinois which later became the Chicago and Aurora Smelting and Refining Company. Van Arsdale was also president of the Aurora YMCA from 1886-[1905?]

Subject/Index Terms

Architecture
Aurora (Ill.)
Aurora Daily Beacon News
Chicago (Ill.)
Circus Fans Association of America
Electricity
Exhibit
Lee County (Ill)
Mineral industries
Ogle County (Ill)
Sabin, Jay H.
Trucks
Van Arsdale, Henry
Winnebago County (Ill)
World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)
Young Men's Christian Associations

Administrative Information

Repository: Northern Illinois University

Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access to the collection.Items relating to the Columbian Exposition have been restricted for preservation purposes. Copies are available for research.

Use Restrictions: Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public. Items relating to the Columbian Exposition have been restricted for preservation purposes. Copies are available for research.

Acquisition Source: Charles F. Andrews, Geneve Harris

Acquisition Method: Charles F. Andrews donated the records of Jay Horace Sabin and William Henry Van Arsdale to the Northern Illinois University Archives in 1966. J. Joseph Bauxar, University Archivist, transferred the records to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center in May 1978. An addendum was added to the collection on April 25, 2008 by Geneve Harris.

Related Materials: Approximately 250 postcards from Europe and the Middle East were transferred to the Postcard Collection (RC 199).

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Oversize Drawer 3],
[Oversize Drawer 12],
[Oversize Drawer 13],
[Addendum 1],
[Box 7],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Sabin Correspondence, 1907-1954
Folder 2: Sabin Diploma, 1904: Access Restriction: see also oversize drawer 3, folder 5
Folder 3: Sabin Notes, 1899, no date
Folder 4: Surveyor Blueprints, 1939
Folder 5: Van Arsdale Notes and Addresses, 1856-1857, 1865
Folder 6: Van Arsdale Tours, no date
Folder 7: Aurora YMCA, 1886-1905
Folder 8: Religious Material, 1885-1913
Folder 9: Circus Fans of America, 1956-1960
Folder 10: Letters To and From Northern Illinois Area, 1872-1879
Folder 11: Wanted Notices from Criminals, 1874-1879
Envelope 1: Biographical Photographs: Dwight Mays Sabin (2)
Envelope 2a: Biographical Photographs: William Henry Van Arsdale (9)
Envelope 2b: Biographical Photographs: Jay Sabin (2), no date
Envelope 2c: Biographical Photographs: Alice Louis Sabin Brink Knox (2), no date
Envelope 3-6: Biographical Photographs: Identified Biographical (39)
Envelope 7-17: Biographical Photographs: Unidentified Biographical (204)
Envelope 18-19: Biographical Photographs: Unidentified Individual Candid Photos (36)
Envelope 20-21: Biographical Photographs: Unidentified Group Portraits (27)
Envelope 22-23: Biographical Photographs: Group Candid Photos (49)
Envelope 24-25: Biographical Photographs: Tintypes (10)
Envelope 26a: Biographical Photographs: Sabin Ranch (9)
Envelope 26b: Van Arsdale home, Benton & Root, Aurora (15), no date
Envelope 27-28: Geographical Photographs: Europe, England (35)

Box 2

Envelope 1-15: Geographical Photographs: Europe, England (6), France (12), Germany (44), Holland (3), Italy (14), Switzerland (39)
Envelope 16-18: Geographical Photographs: Mexico (30)
Envelope 19-26: Geographical Photographs: United States, California (32), Colorado (9), Illinois (5), Massachusetts (8), South Dakota (6), Wyoming (1), Far Western U.S. (5)
Envelope 27-28: Miscellaneous Photographs: Mining, Manufacturing (23)
Envelope 29-31a: Miscellaneous Photographs: Unidentified Architecture (35)
Envelope 31b: Miscellaneous Photographs: Identified Architecture, Memorial Hall NWA, (2), no date
Envelope 32: Miscellaneous Photographs: Identified Landscape (4)
Envelope 33: Miscellaneous Photographs: Unidentified Landscape (72)
Envelope 34: Miscellaneous Photographs: Trains (8)
Envelope 35: Miscellaneous Photographs: Schroon Lake (1)
Envelope 36: Miscellaneous Photographs: Animals (2)
Envelope 37: Miscellaneous Photographs: Miscellaneous Identified Photographs (8)

Box 3

Envelope 1: Oversize Photographs, Identified Biographical Photographs (2)
Envelope 2: Unidentified Group Biographical Portraits (6)
Envelope 3: Unidentified Group Candid Photos (9)
Folder 1: Individual Biographical Portraits (5)
Folder 2-3: Group Biographical Portraits (7)
Folder 4-5: Architectural Photographs (7)
Folder 6: Alice Sabin Fortunes Book, no date
Folder 7: Court Cases: Mr. and Mrs. John Simpson vs. Wm. H. Van Arsdale, 1874
Folder 8: Court Cases: San Felipe Mining Co. et al vs. M.W. Belshaw et al, 1874-1875
Folder 9: Columbian Album, Chicago World Exposition, Parts 1-3, 1893: Access Restriction: Originals restricted. Copies are available for research.
Folder 10: Columbia College School of Mines, By-laws and Catalogs, 1864-1869
Folder 11: New York Free Academy, Annual Registers, (1860-1865)
Folder 12: New York Free Academy, Merit Rolls; Monthly, Annual Report, 1861-1865;May 1861,1863
Folder 13: An Art Souvenir of Northwestern University, 1896
Folder 14: The North Western, May 7,1898
Folder 15: Alpha Delta Phi Songbook, no date
Folder 16: College of the City of New York, Historical Cabinet, 1874
Folder 17: South Park Commissioners Annual Report, 1912
Folder 18: Gill's Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, 1891
Folder 19: Tire Brochures, no date
Folder 20: Mitchell's Ancient Atlas; Merchants, Mechanics, and Travellers' Atlas and Geography, 1863,1865
Folder 21-22: Guide Books, 1877-1917
Folder 23-26: Souvenir Books

Box 4

Folder 1: Jay Sabin's: Chemical Notes, no date
Folder 2: Contracting Engineer Notebook, no date
Folder 3: Field Engineering Handbook, 1904
Folder 4: Literature Notebook, no date
Folder 5: Surveyor's Book, Resurvey Notes Normantown to Aurora, 0 to 509
Folder 6: Surveyor's Book, Topographical and Right of Way Notes from Dyer to Porter, Indiana
Folder 7: Diaries, 1947,1953

Box 5

Envelope 1 Envelope: Work Receipts, 1926-1929
Envelope 1-25: Lantern Slides of Mining Work, no date
Volume 1: Photograph Album, no date

Oversize Drawer 3

Folder 5

Item 1: Photographs: Sabin Ranch, no date
Item 2: Photographs: Tech Baseball Team, no date
Item 3: Photographs: Northwestern University Baseball Team, 1901
Item 4: Photographs: Dwight Mays Sabin, no date
Item 5: Photographs: Naples Panorama, no date
Item 6: Diploma - Jay Sabin, 1904
Item 7: Certificate of Engineering - Jay Sabin, 1916
Item 8: Wanted Notice for John N. Taylor and Robert Taylor, November 24,1879

Folder 6

Item 1: Photographs: Madison Gun Club, June 17,1915
Item 2: Circus Article/ Photograph and Poster (2), 1956,1960
Item 3: City of Aurora Map, 1882

Oversize Drawer 12

Folder 10: Maps (50)

Grouping 1: Polo, Illinois
Grouping 2: Perryville, Illinois
Grouping 3: South Beloit, Illinois
Grouping 4: Oakwood Cemetery Plots, 1884
Grouping 5: Evergreen Cemetery Plots, 1936

Folder 11

Item 1: Drawings and Township Maps, #22N-25N, #40N-42N (24): Evergreen Cemetery, 1936; Oakwood Cemetery, 1884; South Beloit, Illinois; Perryville, Illinois; Polo, Illinois; Byron, Illinois, 1928

Folder 12

Item 1: Drawings and Township Maps, #22N-25N, #40N-42N (20)

Oversize Drawer 13

Folder 7: American Wagon Company/White Motor Company, Truck Chassis Design Drawings (15), 1932-1930

Folder 8: American Wagon Company/White Motor Company, Truck Chassis Design Drawings (8), 1923-1930

Folder 9: American Wagon Company/White Motor Company, Truck Chassis Design Drawings (7), 1923-1930

Folder 10

Item 1: Patrons of Husbandry Certificates (3), 1909, 1930, 1937
Item 2: Stark County News, 12th Annual Reunion of the 112th Illinois Volume, September 20, 1877
Item 3: Grand Army of the Republic Posters (2), circa 1908
Item 4: DeKalb Country Camp-Fire and Reunion Association, Annual Reunion & Campfire, 1908

Addendum 1

Box 6

Folder 1: Dwight Mays Sabin, Genealogy

Folder 2: Jay Sabin and M. Louis Hard Wedding Invitation, September 19,1872

Folder 3: Jay Horace Sabin and Alice Hanlon Marriage Service, September 30,1901

Folder 4: Alice Louise Sabin Baby Book, August 30,1902-December 25,1904

Folder 5: Correspondence: To Alice from Mother, no date

Folder 6: Correspondence: To Alice from Grandparents, 1912-1922,no date

Folder 7: Photographs

Item 1: William Henry Van Arsdale (3), no date
Item 2: M. Louis Van Arsdale, Biloxi (1), February 1929
Item 3: Martha Louise Hard Sabin Van Arsdale (1), no date
Item 4: Horace A. Sabin (1), no date
Item 5: J.H. Sabin’s Cabin, Byron, Illinois (2), 1930
Item 6: Jay Horace Sabin (3), no date
Item 7: Jay and Alice Louise Sabin (1), no date
Item 8: Mrs. L.E. Hard and Alice Sabin (1), no date
Item 9: Alice (Hanlon) Sabin (3), no date
Item 10: Mr./Mrs. Jay Horace Sabin, Mr./Mrs. Wm. Van Arsdale, Alice Louise Sabin (1), no date

Folder 8: Newspaper Clippings

Item 1: Newspaper Clippings: Eight Cavalry Reunion, no date
Item 2: Newspaper Clippings: Mrs. M. Louise Van Arsdale Obituary, February 20,1934

Folder 9: Poem, "A Greeting from my Dollies", no date

Folder 10: Chicago and Aurora Smelting and Refining Company Business Card, no date

Box 7

Folder 1: Prints: Chicago Works, Main Works in Aurora, Works at Leadville, Colorado, no date
Folder 2: Scrapbook of Van Arsdale Home in Aurora, Illinois (Interior and Exterior) including Warranty Deed, March 25,1902

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Oversize Drawer 3],
[Oversize Drawer 12],
[Oversize Drawer 13],
[Addendum 1],
[Box 7],
[All]